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TAMPA — Hillsborough High School coach Earl Garcia just laughs when asked if he remembers the game his team played against Sickles and then-sophomore running back Ray Ray McCloud III in 2012. How could he forget? McCloud was nearly two years away from committing to Clemson, and still lost among ...Read more

Class 7A region quarterfinals Palmetto (4-5) at East Lake (10-0) Winner plays: Pinellas Park-East Lake winner Scouting report: This is a rematch of last year’s region quarterfinal that East Lake won 13-12. It was the Eagles’ closest win in each of the past two seasons. The game was heated last ...Read more

Twenty-seven Tampa Bay football teams kick off the first round of the postseason Friday night. We’ll be running a playoff primer series all week, breaking down the matchups into categories even casual football fans should find appealing. If you like Division I recruits, go see: Palmetto (4-5) at ...Read more

Team of the week Jesuit. The Tigers trailed Tampa Catholic by two touchdowns in the third quarter, but they fought their way back to beat their longtime rival 31-28 on a last-second 30-yard field goal. Jesuit has now won the past 15 meetings between the schools, beating three state final ...Read more

TAMPA — On the game’s first offensive play, Sickles running back Ray Ray McCloud III exploded through the line of scrimmage for a 21-yard run. Six plays later, he was in the end zone for the first of three touchdowns. Though Sickles (7-3) had beaten neighborhood rival Alonso (3-7) by ...Read more

Co-teams of the week Gulf: The Buccaneers have relied on an explosive offense that is averaging 37 points per game during their seven-game win streak. But it was the defense that carried Gulf in a 36-19 win over Wesley Chapel that clinched the Buccaneers’ first playoff berth since 2008. Gulf ...Read more

TAMPA — Ray Ray McCloud III showed why he is one of the best prep running backs in the country, darting around left end for a 22-yard touchdown with 48 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to break a 14-14 tie and give Sickles a 21-14 win over Tampa Bay ...Read more

Team of the week River Ridge: Royal Knights’ coach Ryan Benjamin did not hide the fact that a win over Hudson would mean the school’s first playoff berth since 1998. His team responded with a decisive 46-14 win over Hudson. The win secures a district championship for a team that ...Read more

TAMPA — Sickles used a dominating first half to rout Wiregrass Ranch Friday on homecoming and remain tied for first place in the Class 7A, District 7 race. Quarterback Isaac Holder and running back Ray Ray McCloud III fueled a Sickles offense that scored on seven of eight possessions in ...Read more

Team of the week Leto. The Falcons won their first game (on the field) since 2009. Leto was credited with a forfeit win over Armwood in 2011, but the 18-15 win over Middleton on Friday is much sweeter. The win snaps a 32-game losing streak, and of course it wasn’t ...Read more

TAMPA — The start of Gaither’s district matchup with Sickles on Friday was mistake-laden. In the first few minutes there was a Gryphons turnover, a blocked Gaither field goal and four combined penalties. So it wasn’t unexpected when, on their second drive of the night, the Cowboys were looking at ...Read more

Berkeley Prep at Tampa Catholic, 7 Key matchup: Cody Endris vs. Gordon Stetson — Endris, a senior linebacker, leads the Crusaders with 78 tackles. His main job Friday will likely be stopping Stetson, who is averaging more than 113 yards per game and has scored eight rushing touchdowns for the ...Read more

SMQ team of the week Zephyrhills: The first half of the Bulldogs’ season has been characterized by blowout wins in which they piled on the points. That was not the case Friday night against Nature Coast. In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs trailed 14-7 in a key Class 5A, District ...Read more

TAMPA — On the very first play from scrimmage, Sickles quarterback Isaac Holder hit Ray Ray McCloud III with a 10-yard pass for a first down. Plant coach Robert Weiner couldn’t help but think “here we go again.” Last year when the Gryphons and Panthers met, the game was decided ...Read more

TAMPA — Coach Brian Turner admits he was freaking out. In the days leading up to Sickles’ district matchup with Freedom last week, Turner’s star running back, Clemson commit Ray Ray McCloud III, was sick. McCloud had never missed a game in four years on the varsity team. Turner spent ...Read more